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Why editorial ethics are important

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Written by David Brewer

Last Updated: 03 June 2015

An introduction to our editorial ethics section

The Media Helping Media ethics section is designed to help journalists navigate some of the challenges they might face as they go about their work. The ethics modules are a set of guidelines, not rules. They need to be adapted to ensure that they are regionally and culturally relevant.

The guidelines are for journalists who want to provide robust, searching, issue-led journalism that informs the public debate so that the audience/users/readers can make educated choices.

The modules are based on a desire to deliver editorial excellence that reaches the whole audience regardless of race, religion, nationality, personal preferences and social status, with impartial, fair, accurate and objective information.

The material on this site has nothing to do with producing so-called 'constructive news' or 'positive news'. These modules will help journalists deal with editorial issues affecting life as it really is rather than from a controlled perspective, which, in the view of this site it not journalism.

Increasing demand for ethics training

The creation of this section follows a growing demand for training modules to help journalists cope with the editorial and ethical issues surrounding newsgathering and news delivery.

Many people have written editorial guidelines, and a search of the web will throw up dozens of variations. We have chosen to base the Media Helping Media guidelines on the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines. This is mainly because the two founders of Media Helping Media spent many years working at the BBC and have trained thousands of journalists in how to apply these guidelines.

However, the Media Helping Media guidelines are significantly different. Because they are used in training courses in various parts of the world, they are continually adapted and rewritten to reflect regional issues and sensitivities.

The issue in all cases is to deliver editorial excellence based on a clearly defined ethical code of practice that balances the rights to freedom of expression with editorial responsibility.

The modules in this section cover:

Accuracy: Producing well-sourced information based on solid evidence

Impartiality: Being fair and open-minded coverage while exploring all significant views

Fairness: Operating in a transparent, open, honest and fair manner based on straight dealing

Privacy: Ensuring we respect and never invade personal privacy unless it is in the public interest

Offence: Delivering challenging journalism that is sensitive to audience expectations

Integrity: Dealing with groups keen to use, manipulate or mould the media for their own advantage

Interactivity: Engaging the audience in our output n order to ensure that we reflect public opinion

Legal: Avoiding the courts while continuing to inform the public debate.

If you would like to contribute a module, or improve an existing module, please use the contact us form at the foot of any page to let us know.

The author of this piece, David Brewer, is a journalist and media strategy consultant who founded Media Helping Media. David has worked as a journalist and manager in print, broadcast and online. He has spent many years delivering journalism training and media consultancy services worldwide.

This site has been given permission to use and adapt elements of the BBC's Editorial Guidelines in these short editorial ethics modules. They have been updated to reflect changing international, regional and cultural variations.